


Come Back

by onlyhereforellick



Series: Fictober ‘19 [14]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, fictober 19, post 17x03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 11:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21035666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: Resigned to her sleepless fate, she decided to revel in the feeling of being close to Nick. Ellie knew that when morning came, reality would come crashing back. There was a very high chance Nick would make good on his promise to not come back, but damn her if she wouldn’t give him every reason to stay.





	Come Back

**Author's Note:**

> fictober 19; prompt 14: “I can’t come back.”

Ellie’d gotten the call around 2am, startled awake by the uncharacteristic middle of the night phone call, her head was foggy when she answered. The haze lifted real fast when she’d heard the words, “He’s not okay, he needs a ride.” She pieced enough of the remainder of the conversation together to realize Nick was out, wasted at a bar, too far gone to even notice the bartender had taken his phone. Why the bartender called her, she had no idea. Rushing out of bed and quickly throwing on a trench coat over her pajamas and converses on her feet, she ran out the door. 

Thanks to the late hour, it took her no time to get to the dive bar in a shady part of downtown DC. She tried to ignore the whistles and catcalls she got as she stepped out into the night air in nothing but a coat she wrapped around her sheer sleep set and shoes. Hurriedly ducking into the bar she located Nick immediately. He was the one slumped over the bar with a half drunk pint cradled in his loose fist. His phone tossed carelessly beside his head. She made eye contact with the bartender and nodded, throwing down a few bills to hopefully cover Nick’s tab. 

After a quick assessment of his state, she knew he needed to come back to her place. There was no way she was leaving him alone at his apartment, and frankly, she wasn’t physically inept, but there was no way she could help him up the several flights of stairs to his place. She could make it up the like ten in front of her apartment, easy. 

Prodding him in the shoulder with her index finger and prying the beer out of his hand, she tried to rouse him. He briefly lifted his head and groggily acknowledged her presence with a slurred, “El-, Ellie?”

He started to slump again, but she caught him and threaded her arm around his back, placing his arm over her shoulders. She tried to quell the heat rising at the close contact with him; she yearned to be this close, but knew that it could never happen. She was not Nick’s type and especially with how distant he’d been recently after Ziva’s visit, she tried to push down those budding feelings of hers. 

With a grunt she used her knees to transfer his weight out of the barstool and onto her shoulders to make the way to the truck. “Let’s go, tough guy. Let’s get you home.”

A noise of acceptance escaped Nick’s lips as his eyes slid shut and he leaned even more onto her. She thanked the heavens above for picking up a few more sessions at the gym after her recent brushes with death. She slowly trudged to the truck and somehow—really, do not ask her how—she got him in the truck, dead, drunk weight and all. 

The ride home was quick and silent, save for a few light snores coming from Nick’s side of the cab every now and then. A morbid thought crossed Ellie’s mind as she realized those snores were a nice indicator he was still conscious and breathing. It enraged her that he would endanger himself like this.  _They’d talked about his drinking! What the hell was he doing getting blasted after everything that happened to him last year?!_ But in the same breath, she couldn’t be pissed because worry filled her to the brim. Worry for whatever was warring inside him, and it broke her heart that he didn’t come to her anymore when he was hurting. 

Parking on the street, she cast her gaze over to him and let out a brief sigh. This strong, tough man with a heart of gold inside that he hated to let show, but she knew it was there.  _Who hurt him to cause this?_ A quiet voice in the back of her head, whispered her biggest fear—_her_. With a slight shake of her head, as if to rid herself of that thought, she exited the car and got ready to bring him inside. 

They made it to her bed before he finally started to stir. She’d planned on getting his shoes and maybe jeans off so he could sleep in her bed comfortably while she kept an eye on him from her reading chair in the corner. She’d managed to take off both shoes and was working on carefully unbuttoning his jeans, when he decided to wake up. 

His hands grabbed her wrists and she froze, before she even dared to look at his face, she heard his groggy voice, “Bishop, surely you’re not taking advantage of me in this state.”

She didn’t have to look at him to know he had a shadow of a smirk on his face. Her cheeks flooded with embarrassment, and she quickly jumped off the side of the bed. Stammering she tried to justify her actions, “I- I- I just figured you needed to be more comfortable. I- I wasn’t doing anything.” More firmly she added, “I would never.”

She finally braved looking him in the eyes, just in time to see his teasing twinkle be replaced with a wave of sadness. As quick as it came, his mask was back and walls erected. A dead serious expression morphed his features as he took in his surroundings and replied, “I can’t stay.” He attempted to get off the bed, but was halted with firm pressure of her hand to his chest. 

“What? No you’re not leaving. You’re not okay, Nick.” Ellie said surprised he thought he could leave in his drunken state. 

He looked ready to fight her for a brief moment until the weight of the night’s activities hit him hard again. He sagged back into her pillows. “Fine, maybe I’ll stay, but I- I can’t come back.” 

She was now thoroughly confused, why couldn’t he come back? They were still friends, at least she was pretty sure they were. “What? Why Nick? Why can’t you come back?” She had to ask him, to clarify. 

Fading fast he replied, barely awake, “Because El-, I want you.” And with that he started snoring, loudly. 

_What? What did that mean?? Nick...wanted...her?_

Well now she really wouldn’t be getting any sleep. She turned to go when she felt a firm pull to her wrist. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Nick eyes still closed, hand gripping hers. 

“Don’t go, stay with me.”

“I- I will, over here.” Ellie assured him. 

“No, stay here,” Nick pushed while patting the space on the bed next to him. 

In took all of Ellie’s strength to say yes. She knew she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep laying so close to him. Even if he was still clothed. She couldn’t deny him though, not after what he just unknowingly admitted. 

So she complied, shrugging her jacket off and toeing off her shoes. She realized her sheer pajamas wouldn’t be covering much, so she rounded the bed and gently slipped under the covers. But Nick quickly followed suit and immediately reached for her, pulling her body fluff to his side. 

Nuzzling her neck, she felt his warm breath and could just barely make out his murmuring, “mmmm, beautiful.” His hand splayed across her abdomen sending off thousands of flutters. 

Resigned to her sleepless fate, she decided to revel in the feeling of being close to Nick. Ellie knew that when morning came, reality would come crashing back. There was a very high chance Nick would make good on his promise to not come back, but damn her if she wouldn’t give him every reason to stay. 


End file.
